Erasing Expectations
by anathemaofyggdrasil
Summary: In which Noctis, as the princess and future Queen of Lucis, has a lot to live up to and has myriad issues pulling at her attention. Features fem!Noctis, lovestruck boys, realistic issues, and explorations of the characters and their relationships. This is not a smut-fest. NoctisxBoys. Complete!
1. Theirs, and Prompto Gets the Text

She's beautiful. They knew it the first time each of them saw her, the princess of their kingdom. For Gladio, it was days after she was born. He still remembers it, the sight of the newborn princess bundled up in a soft blue and white blanket. It might even be the first memory he has. It's certainly the first he can recall. For Ignis it's different. She was five, quiet, and shy. He was confident enough at eight, and well aware that he had a duty to her. Like Gladio, he was meant to protect her. But he still loved her the moment he saw her, standing behind her father's legs, too nervous to look out past him.

Prompto saw her for the first time in elementary, when all he had was an empty house to return to and no friends to his name. He remembers her being surrounded by people, but there was something terribly alone in her gaze that he knew all too well. He didn't get the courage to talk to her for years, and when he did, he was a terrible flirt and worse yet, one that tripped up on his words but kept plunging the dark road of social awkwardness.

Gladio really didn't like Prompto when he first met him, and neither did Ignis, who first alerted him to the strange blond tailing after their girl. A private meeting with King Regis a few days later confirmed their wariness— Prompto Argentum, son of Verstael, general of the Niflheim army. Placed in Lucis for unknown reasons, allowed to remain because all intelligence showed that he was no threat.

Trying to separate Noctis from her first friend without strings attached was like trying to part a cat from its fur. The situation didn't end well.

They got used to him, and soon enough it seemed like Prompto was meant to be there as well. Noctis even ensure that he had a place in the Citadel when he came calling.

The first time they discovered he had snuck in to her newly acquired apartment and stayed though, would remain embedded in all their minds, because it hadn't ended up like any of them thought it would. Ignis had stopped by to check on the princess, ensuring that she was fed another day (because in truth she was a lazy cook, and though she had talent for taste, she often forgot key details such as the importance of specific temperatures) and that she had read her reports. Gladio had come with him because they were planning a night out (and contemplating asking Noctis along) and was the one to first notice anything suspicious.

Because Prompto muted the TV in Noctis's room, thinking for some obscure reason that they would be drawn to the noise rather than the sudden silence. Noctis's sudden look of _shit_ had been enough for Gladio to tear into her bedroom, expecting to find something massively inappropriate going on. Instead he found the blond clad in chocobo pajamas, gazing terrified at him on the bed.

At the end of it all, they all stayed the night. They fell asleep in her massive bed, and the next morning the two eldest rushed out in their own terror, because if the _King found out_ …

Ironically, they now spent every night sleeping next to her. The positions varied, depending on when they went to sleep and who had to get up in the middle of the night for a bathroom trip. Inevitably, Gladio pulled her into his arms, an action which sent him into a tirade of apologies the first morning he awoke like that. Prompto cuddled without shame, apparently having had the opportunity before. Ignis also had his closeness with the princess, as it wasn't unusual for positions to shift and for _Noctis_ to crawl over him in her sleep.

It was, Ignis bemoaned, highly inappropriate for a woman engaged to sleep in the same tent as three other men, but the one night they tried to put her in her own, all three men crawled, one by one, into her little tent. Fueled by their own anxiety, they couldn't let her out of their sights. It wasn't long after that that the truth began to make itself known- they all loved her, they had all fallen for her, and yet none of them could or should have her.

But, until the day came that she belonged eternally and forever to someone else, she was _theirs_.

* * *

Ignis knows Noctis has been stressed. The absence of her father, with whom she shared a bond so strong she collapsed at the moment of his death, had taken its toll. His suggestion that they eat out as a treat to cheer her up had been a good one, he was sure of it, because she had looked happy, though still tired, still rather pale.

How was he to know that the food would make her sick?

Gladio was threatening the chef, paranoid of some plot to kill her highness, and Prompto was trying to coax her out of the bathroom where she had been vomiting for the last hour. Nothing had helped, no medicine would stay down long enough to work.

At least she wasn't crying, because Gods help the chef if she cried. He wouldn't live past Ignis's vengeance.

"Noooct? Hey- wouldn't it be nicer to throw up at camp? If you just come out-"

"Go _away_ ", her voice was muffled by the locked door.

"Perhaps we should just leave her alone?", Ignis questioned lowly, mostly to himself, because surely she must be feeling crowded?

"But she doesn't _like_ being alone, why would she like it when she's sick?", Prompto had immediately sprung up in her defense.

They stood in the narrow hall waiting, until Gladio had long since finished with the cook, the waitress, and even a few choice patrons. It was a miracle they hadn't been thrown out.

"Noct, babe? Please come out", the tank asked with a sigh, considerably more gentle with her than he had been with the diner's inhabitants.

There wasn't a sound, and then Prompto's phone _ding_ ed, and he glanced down at it.

"Oh. _Oh._ " He looked back up at the door, and then at his phone.

"What? What is it?", Gladio asked, reaching out for the phone, but Prompto danced away.

"Be right back!"

Ignis couldn't help the glare he sent after the blond. If she had texted him… He checked his own phone, but there was nothing. Why Prompto?

The blond returned mere minutes later, a black satchel in hand.

"Uh, Noct? I've got it… I'm gunna hold it at handle level…"

The door opened and the satchel was snatched faster than Gladio had ever seen her move. That was saying something, after the many times she had warped to their defense. Prompto shrugged off their glares, an awkward little smile on his face that had a hint of true happiness, probably because he had been trusted with the mysterious satchel.

Noctis came out some minutes later, looking worn down and too pale, circles standing out darkly under her eyes. Her hair was in disarray and swept back in a style Gladio would have enjoyed if she hadn't looked so miserable.

"Okay", she said, "let's go. Stop standing here."

"Are you sure you're okay highness? If you need assistance…", Ignis was shot down with a withering look and narrowed blue eyes that dared him to continue. Noctis, it seemed, _had_ been feeling overwhelmed by their attention.

Ignis wasn't the only one to sulk at being denied the basic privilege of caring for her, and the group trudged out to the car. They got going, Ignis speeding for a haven that would offer the privacy from the empire's dreadnoughts they so desperately needed.

It wasn't until they were eating and Prompto left his phone unattended that Gladiolus crouched next to her chair and looked her dead in the eye.

"I could have gotten a box of tampons for you."

And the secret was revealed.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I should be asleep because I have finals in the morning, but I'm not, because my brain is stubborn and I live to test my limits. Enjoy this fem!Noctis and her lovestruck boys, it won't always be as carefree as these two shorts imply, nor will the boys always be as straight-laced in love with her. There are a mass of complications here. Additionally, for the detail which inspired _Prompto Gets the Text_ , was the thought that the menstrual cycle is a valid concern for Noctis running around like this, and is usually rather unpleasant. Additionally, she was likely on birth control in Insomnia, and was no longer able to access it later. For any female who knows, getting off of birth control, especially unexpectedly, can suck like hell. As with my style, I am devoted to keeping things as realistic as possible. If there's something that catches your interest about the possibilities of a fem!Noctis, hit me up in a review or PM me. There will be more! _Oh_ , I had to bring it up right quick- who else thinks that Loqi and Prompto could be brothers? Loqi appear so randomly and so young to be running around with the authority he has that I could only assume he has important connections. We only ever see Ardyn, Aldercapt, Aranea, Ravus, and Verstael around, as well as a few older commanders. And Loqi had _pep!_ Let me know what you think!


	2. His, Fishing, and Given

Princess Noctis Lucis Caelum. He remembered her as a pretty girl, nice, quiet, funny when eventually he convinced her to talk to him. The weeks in Tenebrae when she was recovering were some of the best, shortly followed by years of the worst.

For a long time, he tried to say he blamed her, and King Regis, for what happened to their mother. But it didn't stop him from stealing Luna's journal to see what they were talking about, or to see a recent picture. Or, once, to write something to her himself.

 _ **I wish I could see you again.**_

He's not in love with her, but he does remember her from the good times, and that is all he really wants back. He wants Tenebrae and Lucis to be allied, he wants two children, considers the possibility that he may have a daughter who will take after his sister and become Oracle, for only women have ever been Oracle. He considers, maybe, that he could have a dark haired son who will take the Lucian throne when Noctis is ready to release it.

All this, once he has wed her. Once he has become imperial commander of the Niflheim army. Once he has _destroyed_ the emperor and claimed his throne.

The entire world will be united under their power, and Tenebrae will remain the home of the Oracle, but Lucis will claim all else because he saw greatness in that little girl. He saw power, and he knows, even as Ardyn does each time she comes up, that one day she will be the most powerful force in their world. One day soon, she will be his, and he hers, as agreed by the empire to tie down relations with Lucis and encourage the people to accept imperial dominion. One day soon, he will have her by his side.

He doesn't care about the power so much, but everything that will come after.

* * *

Prompto loves that she likes to fish. It's the cutest thing ever to watch tiny little Noctis reeling in a giant fish, and it's hilarious to watch Gladio go pale with worry and continually reach out to take the rod, only to get snapped at for babying her again. If anyone is going to be doing the babying, it's Noctis— and that's not just because she's a girl! It's because Noctis is just that way. She's not very open about it, but if anything needs love and comes to her, it'll get it. Prompto included.

She's been his comfort for years now, and he can't get over it. They spent nights staying up late in her apartment watching movies and sharing blankets, throwing popcorn at each other. He thinks, maybe, that she's in love with him. Not as much as he's in love with her, but enough that in this whole mess, she won't let him get left behind. It makes him feel amazing, but he can't compare to the others.

She's hooked another big one, and Ignis has only just finished scaling and deboning the other. Prompto is excited for the fresh food, knows that they're going to eat well tonight, and is especially happy that they didn't have to chase, hunt, or otherwise pursue their food.

They got to sit on a dock and drink beer while Ignis prepped ingredients and Gladio leaned forward every time she did. Prompto has enjoyed laying on his stomach, supported by his elbows on the wooden beams, taking pictures of her toes in the water or swaying her legs so that ripples form.

She's as photogenic as Gladio. And cuter.

"Do you need help?", Gladio asked, his nostrils flaring as she's scooted forward by the strength of the fish. But she just shakes her head and he nervously sips his beer.

She takes her time, because she's patient (only in fishing), and gets it in foot by foot. Prompto catches it with the little device she uses when it's right under them, and pulls it up— nearly falling in himself.

"Prom! I just caught it! Don't lose it!"

"No concern for _me_?!"

Gladio takes it from him and carries it away, fed up with standing on the sidelines. Prompto is actually relieved. It was squirming so much that he almost kept letting go.

"Good one Noct", he says, and she grins and puts her tackle box back together with care. He remembers when he first found out the princess liked fishing. It was weird.

"Maybe I'll let you try next time", she said, picked it up, and the two walks along the dock towards the group.

"Heh, Gladio is the one always begging for a turn", Prompto said, "Maybe you should let him have a try."

Noctis smirked, a sly little smirk that spoke of things only she knew, "He'd scare away the fish by getting angry." She seemed to speak with experience, and it made Prompto wonder when her and Gladio had gone fishing together. Before Insomnia fell, he guessed.

"Hey", he spoke up, "can you teach me sometime?"

Noctis turns a surprised look on him, but her smile gentles, and the nervousness in his heart fades away because she's _never_ denied him anything he truly wanted.

"Sure. We'll figure out the time later."

Maybe that's why he won't ask her for another kiss.

* * *

"Brat!", she jumped on his _sword_! They were training, and she had the damn audacity to jump onto his sword as he swung, and then warp off again. Where was she- there! The princess was perched at the top of a water tower, and normally it would have made his stomach lurch to see her there, but she put her feet on his sword and he needed to avenge his pride.

"Get back down here!"

He could hear her laughing, and Prompto cackling somewhere on the sidelines while Ignis chuckled.

"She's getting too good for you Gladio, you may need to do some training of your own", the man said as he wiped his glasses on a cleaning cloth. The statement made the tank curse, his temper riled up because of his embarrassment.

"She only wins because of her tricks!", he knows it's the wrong thing to say the moment he says it, because a blade **thunks** in front of him and she appears a moment later, rising from a kneeled position.

"My tricks?", she asks, and he knows he's made her angry. Right now, he doesn't care, because he wants to pick a fight. Wants to feel better by feeling angry.

"Yeah. Let's see you handle a real battle, no warping, no magic."

There's a second where her eyes narrow, the blue charged with energy, before she nods tightly. They're off before Prompto and Ignis even get a chance to speak in protest. He knows taking away her warping and her magic is unfair. Against him, her physical strength can't compare. She doesn't have as much stamina.

It shows.

He's beating her up, tossing her around. His blade catches her at some point, and he didn't even mean to actually scratch her, that's not done in training, but it happened and they're both moving too fast for Ignis's yelling to have effect. Her hair has come loose, and there's dirt smeared over her nose and her shirt is torn but he can't quite make out blood and he's not looking for it anyway, he's looking for her eyes, which are ferociously angry.

Their swords clash, and her Engine Blade _shatters_ under his strength, and her eyes are wide, so wide and surprised as his blade comes down, too late to redirect, too much force in it to stop, too fast to block again.

There's a splash of blood, and the cry that tears through the air is his _own_ , and his blade disappears in a shimmer of blue, magic that he borrows from her, a sword that doesn't really belong to him.

A sword that disappeared without his prompting.

Suddenly, he feels cold, his hands too empty, and Noctis is holding her shoulder, blood seeping through her fingers. Her arm is still there and she hasn't passed out, but there's so much blood—

"What are you now, without my magic?", she whispers, and he doesn't think she's angry anymore. He doesn't know that tone.

" _Noct!_ ", Prompto's voice is ragged and his feet are pelting across the grass, "Oh Gods- your shoulder-" His hands hover, dancing frantically while Gladio steps back, his own hands shaking, because he just laid sword to royal flesh and such a thing would have meant an execution if they were in the Crown City. And he's so terrified by the emptiness of his hands, because now he knows—

"Nothing", he croaks, his voice catching hard in grief, because she just _took away everything he was_ , everything he had been raised to be, everything his family had been for generations.

Noctis's eyes lose the sharpness that had made them so cold, and they warm again and fill with tears.

"Noctis-", Ignis's voice is frantic, there's blood pouring down her shirt but she won't take the potion he's offering to her, she won't take her eyes off of Gladio.

"Please", his voice is a strained whisper.

He feels when it comes back, the power that he had before, that made him so confident, that was such a part of him that when it was gone he no longer knew himself. He feels it, and he drops to his knees to kneel at her feet, but a moment later she drops too and throws her arms around him even though it must hurt. He squeezes her too hard when he returns the embrace, but she takes it, and he knows now that he must never, never imply that she's weak again.

Because she isn't.

She's so much stronger than him.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _His_ comes before _Theirs_ , both of which take place before the fall of Lucis. And yes, she was engaged to Ravus. Luna cannot be male without changing some fundamental stuff, and the point of this is to only change Noctis's gender and try to imagine the effects. Her marriage to Ravus would have been political, same as the marriage to Luna in game (whether they had feelings for each other is disregarded, the marriage was only broadcast for political wartime strategy.) I also have a suspicion that Ravus might have set it up so that they could see each other again after witnessing some of the cutscenes in the game with the siblings. Additionally, nothing is simple in this, and Noctis knows it. She can't just choose one of them as if picking out a flower, and in the way they act, they're kind of toeing the line and trying to make her pick. It's complicated, and it's hard as hell, and as _Given_ shows, sometimes volatile.


	3. Only Him, Second Chances, and Off Again

Noctis is expected to take it easy after the wound she sustained during her fight with Gladiolus, but Ignis is grateful they have the secondary excuse of waiting for Cid to fix the Engine Blade. The princess, for all the sleeping she does, is always eager to move on, to help someone else despite their requests often taking her by surprise. She's never experienced some of the interests people have and Ignis knows that she's commonly befuddled by their missions. She's much more comfortable taking on bounties, and Hammerhead is one of the worst places for them to be in because of this. The people of the area know that she'll accept any request to deal with vicious monsters, and more than that, they know she'll come back alive. She's becoming something of a legend to the people of Leide, an image of strength that the people desperately need as the empire sweeps over the land and the daemons gather more and more strongly in the longer nights.

Gladiolus takes charge of the repairs, takes the sword to Cid and tells Noctis to sit down. A potion had stopped the bleeding, but hadn't healed all of the wound. It was becoming disheartening to see the effects becoming less effective for all of them. Soon, they would have to rely on hi-potions, but that in turn meant spending more gil. Which requires more missions to take under their care. The King's Shield— or rather Queen's, as Gladiolus would be— had taken on the task of gathering enough gil to pay Cid for the repairs without dipping into their funds. Ignis approves. After the man laid sword to her highness the bespectacled man had wanted to draw his own weapon, but Noctis had quickly shut down any and all conflicts between them.

 _I've had enough of it today_ , she had said, _just stop._

He had, and Prompto was more worried than angry. That fight has been the nastiest they've ever had and the entire group felt the repercussions. Now, Noctis was sitting on the back of the Regalia, boots in the seat, watching Gladiolus's figure grow more distant as he traveled out into the wastes alone.

She isn't happy about it.

"Noctis", Ignis says, refraining from scolding her for sitting in that spot. It was worse when they were driving. "I'd like to change your bandages if you have a moment."

She does, and the two depart into the caravan they had rented for the next few days. She moves and sits on the table, inching her arm through her sleeve on her damaged side before pulling it over in one swift movement. She wears a black athletic bra under it, the same color as all her clothes, which reveals nothing. The strap on the left side has been left slack in light of her injury, which was thoroughly wrapped in bandages. The sight makes Ignis angry all over again.

"Relax Specs, he didn't mean to get me", Noctis sighs quietly, her hair dipping down her back as she looks up towards the roof. Her eyes are on the light, he knows. She has a draw towards bright things, which may have explained Prompto's presence. He's glad for it.

"Be that as it may, I am not required to forgive him", he replies dryly, and takes her long, soft black strands of hair into his hands. They haven't bought shampoo and conditioner for a while, but after a little research he's discovered that there are wild plants which make good substitutions for soap and conditioner. They worked well, and like cooking, he is always altering the methods by which he uses them.

"Hm", her voice isn't easily readable. He focuses on raking his fingers through her hair, easing recent tangles, and then twining it into a braid. Only he has done this for her, he knows, because King Regis had pampered her but not been familiar with the process and her mother had died too young. He learned for her. Once the braid is finished he places it over her right shoulder, well out of the way of her injury, and carefully begins unraveling the bandages.

"Are you sure you won't take a hi-potion?", Ignis asks, lips thinning when he sees the injury. It's red on the edges, irritated by movement most likely. If only she would stop moving about…

"Ig, those things are expensive. Necessary situations only. I've got time to heal up."

He thinks about mentioning Gladiolus's guilty face every time the man looks at her, but decides the underhandedness is unworthy of him. She's too stubborn anyway. Instead, he takes his time cleaning her wound, sometimes checking the pale and smooth skin of her back for bruising. She damages easily. The potion from when she was first injured has taken care of most of them, only a few spots of yellow remaining and the pink line of the other scratch Gladiolus had dealt her. It lies on her ribcage, just under the elastic band of her bra, and curves along her side and down. A diagonal slash.

Only he ever gets to see her like this, vulnerable and half-clothed, and yet he never makes any advances towards her. He understands why. In this state she trusts so few to help her, to see her like this. Not even Prompto. Ignis theorizes that the reason is because she tries to be the gunner's strength. She succeeds.

Ignis wonders at what cost, and when all she gives will be returned in kind.

"There. All done, highness."

Her wound is wrapped up again and a moment later she's slipped her shirt back on, and he doesn't offer to help her because he knows she doesn't want it. Her smile eases his ruffled nerves though, and he smiles back, faintly.

"Thanks, Iggy. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Crash and burn", he speaks dryly, "wander lost for days and feed on Cup Noodles."

She snickers, but her expression says he was right.

"Well, I guess I can't lose you then huh?", she asks.

"Absolutely not."

 _You never will._

* * *

Cid's gotta admit, the girl is adorable. She's itty bitty, just like her mother, but her features share a lot of Regis too. A strong face, the dark hair. And the eyes. The similarities don't end there though, she has his attitude and his casualness from back when he was young, before the role of King demanded more seriousness. He's glad to see that her and Cindy get along like a cat and a warm window ledge, with none of the arguing that the mechanic and Reggie had. No, he sees that in her relationship with her Shield. Clarus's boy has as much fire as his father, but none of the even temper.

Cid knows what happened, even though they didn't tell him. Cindy figured it out and mentioned it quietly to him, worried that maybe the Shield was getting too much of a point. Turning into a sword— one pointed at the future Queen.

Cid dismissed it, because if the look in that boy's eyes wasn't pure shame when he presented that busted up blade then daemon's were getting friendlier around Leide. The kid had about as much to say as the princess did. Kind of reminded him of himself back in the day, only he'd never made amends enough to see Reggie again.

Damn did he regret that. When he heard the news he had sat a long time, thinking about how time had gone by so quick and he'd been so stubborn. And he thinks now, with some regret, that if he and Reggie had stayed on as friends then that girl wouldn't be in such a tough place. She'd have known him, would know he was safe to be around now. But he's smart enough now to see that she'd grown up pulling away from people she didn't know, and it's probably too late to connect with her.

Just like with Reggie.

But it warms his heart to see her and Cindy scampering around, and he finds it awfully funny when the royal gets to asking his granddaughter about the cars they're working on. The two boys— the big one had gone off on some hunts— don't seem to know what to do with themselves while the princess is off learning the tools of the trade.

It's damned funny, actually, to see the blond tail after them, not sure what to do with himself, and the boy becomes a tool runner while Cindy shows Noctis how to work on a few simple things. Her advisor stays put by the caravan, but gives up trying to be productive and instead takes to his phone.

Phones. Should picked the damned thing up and gave Reggie a call when he had a chance.

Cid sighs and swivels back in his seat to finish planning out fixing the blade they'd brought to him, an old man full of memories and regrets… And hopes his granddaughter will never lose the friends she's making now.

* * *

They were on the road again, Noctis still looking over Engine Blade, searching for differences. Picking up the broken shards had been like cutting her own heart up. Her father gave it to her for her sixteenth birthday. One of the few things she has of his. Gladio presented it to her back at Hammerhead with a bowed head, eyes on the ground, and she felt her heart twinge when she saw it. Her heart twinges a bit now to remember him so still and quiet, his confidence blown by her actions.

She hadn't even known she could take away his power until she did it, and it had filled her with such an understanding of just how strong she is. Her friends share her power, and without her they can't summon their weapons. They can't wield the flasks of elemental magic. Without her, they're normal men. It's startling, and it makes her aware that, in the end, they can't protect her. Not from the prophecy, because she's at the forefront of everything. She shouldn't really fear the prophecy anyway— it states that she'll beat the darkness. That's reassuring. It means that, no matter what happens, her people will be safe.

She can't get rid of the voice inside of her that says something will go wrong. Things are not going to be alright.

As if he senses her unease, Gladio shifts next to her. He hesitates, and she's watching, waiting for what he's going to do. She's not sure about his responses after what happened. He's been deeply affected by it.

In the end, he doesn't do much. But it means so much.

He reaches down and gently, hesitantly, rests his much larger hand over hers. She flips her hand over so that their palms are pressed together and slips her fingers through his, intertwining them.

 _I won't be alone._


	4. Warning and Over the Ocean

"Ramuh incoming!"

Her cry cuts over the battle and the boys work fast to disengage from their various foes. They retreat to her and the only spot in which there will be safety— none of them want to feel the Fulgurian's strike.

The sky darkens at his arrival and the thickening clouds cast lightning about. The MTs surrounding them take no heed, unaware of the might they are about to face.

Ramuh appears in a flash of lightning that touches down to the earth and explodes into the immense Astral. The three men are safe from his might so long as they remain next to Noctis… Who then recalls the very reason they are fighting in such a well-armed base.

"Oh Gods the Regalia— _RAMUH!_ "

Too late, his staff touches down and the base is electrified in a fierce show of purple lightning and explosions. Noctis's jaw drops in dread, and Gladiolus raises his hand to his face, unable to believe their luck.

"Maybe… Next time… Titan?", Prompto says weakly.

"I can't pick…"

The car is, miraculously, untouched. The cement surrounding it is not blackened by the lightning and flames. They aren't alone though. Everyone hears the footsteps approaching before Prompto points out the man behind them.

Ravus.

Noctis hasn't seen him in twelve years, and he looks so different. He's tall, his hair is long. And his eyes…

 _Ravus…_

She knows he has become the commander of the imperial army. She knows that he is her enemy, but he was once her friend, and he was once her betrothed.

She takes a step forward before she notices the blade drawn at his side.

"It has been too long, Noctis…"

He's continued to walk forward.

"You received the Storm's blessing. Do you know the consequences?"

He's come too close, and Gladio moves to put himself between her and the eyes of a man who makes something inside her hurt.

"Back up!"

Ravus's blade moves too quickly and shines as he swings. He stops Gladiolus from protecting her in a single movement that tears the man apart inside because he is meant to defend her from such obvious threats. Ignis moves to retaliate, but Ravus raises his hand in a gesture for stillness.

"This, your Shield?", the eldest Fleuret asks, his hand clenches tight on the handle of his blade. His face is lined above his eyes with anger.

"This, the man sworn to protect you?"

His blade forces Gladio to step back, and he walks closer to Noctis, who is so small and so beautiful to him. He knew she would be powerful; he knew she was beautiful— stolen pictures from his sister's journal told him as much.

He doesn't expect to _feel_.

She is small, and pale, and he sees the stress in her gaze, but she is incomparable to any other woman he has met. No other woman has roused such desire in him.

"Come with me", he says, and he sees the men around her go stiff with surprise, "And I will protect you, walk beside you, and we shall tear this earth asunder until you sit upon a throne and the masses bow to your name, calling out for the mercy of the Chosen One!"

She's at a loss. He can see it, sees her eyes flicker to her friends. She cares about them, and her care is not that divine altruism of his sister's that irritates him so much. He wants to feel that care, that love. They are unaware of how blessed they are.

She is stopped from answering by a voice.

"Now, now, I thought that the groom was not to see the bride until the alter?", it is Ardyn's, and Ravus withdraws, turning away from the beast that the man is. He does not wish to see the only light this world possesses in the same moment as the greatest darkness.

Oh yes, he knows. He knows that there is something deeply, darkly terrible about Ardyn Izunia.

His eyes meet hers and he drops his brows, every ounce of his energy spent trying to warn her through just a gaze. He cannot stand against this filth, and he fears her trying without knowledge of his evil.

"Sad, that the wedding day was canceled. Perhaps it can be rescheduled? We've business in Altissia anyway with the tutelary deity there, do we not?"

Ravus feels the crawl of darkness on his skull and knows it is the monster's eyes before they slide away and the beast steps closer to what is his. Noctis stands her ground, just in his sight. Her blue eyes shine with resolve. She will not be intimidated or played.

"Farewell, Your Majesty, and safe travels."

Ravus walks quickly away, unwilling to look at him. He knows that he leaves her in inadequate care, knows that she is not safe, but he cannot do more in the face of this danger.

Abruptly, he knows how King Regis must have felt. The utter frustration, the crumbling ache within that demands he _go back at once_ and throw the beast down and sweep her away so that they might combat the monster when they are safe.

But he cannot.

* * *

She learned of her father's death in a room over the ocean. Now, she refuses to give up another person above it. Her teeth are bared at Ardyn as she defends the Oracle, the weight of her fury and the battle not yet won throwing her heart into convulsions in her chest. Luna is wide-eyed, clutching tight to Noctis's shirt, unwilling to let go now that they are so close again. Noctis has put herself directly above Luna, had warped just as Ardyn stepped from the airship. Leviathan has seen him now, and even he pauses in the gaze of the Goddess's wrath. For even Leviathan knows the Accursed One.

"I had come for the ring", he says, and Noctis's blades, poised above them to attack, twitch.

"But I think I would rather not halt your battle for long. It is rude to keep a Goddess waiting", he does not step off the ship, and instead the panel closes and the ship rises, leaving the princess and the Oracle where they are. It's strange, how fickle he is, but Noctis knows that he is not any less dangerous for it.

"Noctis", Luna says, and Noctis's dark hair shifts as she looks down. Luna looks almost in shock that they are actually together again, actually touching.

"Battle's not over Luna", Noctis says, and stands, pulling the blond up. She has the slightest of moments to marvel at the Oracle before she turns her attention away.

"Right", Luna's voice is determined.

Noctis has little energy left to battle this Goddess, and doesn't know how she can be expected to win. Of course, the Oracle has the answer for her.

The strength of the kings of old guide her, and still, it is not enough. She battles to exhaustion, and strikes a blow straight down the body of Leviathan. Blood gushes from the Hydraean, turns the ocean beneath her red, and Noctis has just enough energy to warp herself back to the stone on which Luna stands. She falls to her knees and feels arms catch her as she tips to the side, feels herself pulled to the Oracle. Through half-shut eyes she sees Leviathan watching. She has done all she can, Luna has done all she can. They must rely on another, and Noctis pulls on the bond she has with Titan, knowing that the Archaean favors her enough to stand before another God.

Besides, Noctis has already done the hardest part.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Order of stories chronologically: _His, Theirs, Fishing, Prompto Gets the Text, Given, Second Chances,_ and _then Off Again. Warning_ and _Over the Ocean_ are the latest installments. Luna and Noctis are very close, but their relationship is platonic. And Ravus is still not in love— what he feels is something like obsession. The guy has a very unhealthy mind for pretty justifiable reasons.


	5. Manners, Coffee, and Photos

"Noctis… You should be bringing your food to you, rather than going to it", Regis says, his lips twitching in barely suppressed humor. None of the children at the table are eating politely, but it's his job as her father to point it out. Clarus, next to him, is doing an even poorer job of hiding his amusement while looking at his four-year-old daughter. Iris is grabbing on to her pasta with both hands and making a hell of a mess, while Gladiolus is doing the same thing as Noctis. Though, he's almost directly above his plate as he nearly inhales it, rather than just leaned against the table— Regis can see a growth spurt coming the boy's way. Again.

Noctis looks up at him slowly, and then rolls her eyes to Gladiolus. Her lower lip juts out.

"But Gladdy is doing it."

Clarus turns away to guffaw quietly as his son looks up in horror, his mouth full, and Jared quietly escapes out of the room… Likely to prevent himself from strangling the children, who've been reminded hundreds of times not to overstuff their mouths or hover over their plates.

Iris giggles and Regis has to squeeze his thigh to hold in his laughter as Gladiolus struggles to swallow fast enough to properly answer, but he's a little late when he speaks.

"I'm sorry Your Majesty!", he says, his posture stiff and proper. Noctis is still watching him and she straightens as well before murmuring her own apology.

There's not much they can do about Iris except call Jared back in to clean her hands and give her a fork again.

Things settle down until Regis has finished eating and sees Gladiolus glaring at Noctis, who's shrunk down in her seat at his anger. She's too sweet to have pointed it out in an effort to get him in trouble, but Regis knows the boy has missed that she's been copying his every move for the last few weeks.

He nudges Clarus so that his friend can get a look at the boy deflating as Noctis picks at her food, and he and his friend share a smile as Gladiolus picks at the tablecloth. Regis can already see them in the future, and knows that this will be a common occurrence for Gladiolus. He only wonders when Noctis will start standing up for herself.

Ah, well. She has years yet to do that, and in the mean-time Regis permits Gladiolus to take her outside to 'train', which at this age is still mostly playing.

He knows she'll come back all smiles again.

* * *

"Can I try?"

Noctis is thirteen and, for the first time, wants to try coffee. Ignis, who is fifteen, isn't altogether sure that the picky girl will like it.

"Yes."

He offers his can out to her and watches her open it with little, delicate fingers. He's in an awkward stage where all he can really notice is how pretty girls are, and he's seen Gladiolus chatting every girl in the class above his up. At fifteen and thirteen she's a little young, and that makes him feel strange, but it's also Noctis and she hardly acts like a thirteen-year-old.

She sniffs it before she tastes it, and doesn't seem to mind the scent, but when it hits her tongue he can see her nose wrinkle in a grimace. She hands it back as she slowly forces herself to swallow. He has never seen her spit anything out, no matter how much she dislikes it. He tries desperately to keep his mind from making dirty insinuations with that thought, and succeeds, barely.

"So?", he inquires, "how was it?"

"…Good."

He grins, and she looks away with a red face.

"Good", he says.

He doesn't offer her the can, and she doesn't ask for it again.

* * *

Prompto is sixteen, and he can't get over Noctis's lips. They're the perfect shape, and not too big or too small. They're the most gorgeous pink he's ever seen. He's taken a picture that he can't help but scroll back to on his phone where she has them puckered, blowing him a playful kiss as Ignis drives her away, and he thinks it might be his favorite picture ever.

He doesn't tell her that he saves it.

He's seventeen when he lets her over to his house, and she sees his room for the first time. His mom stays in her room and doesn't come out. She never comes out.

Prompto's glad, because it's obvious something's wrong with her when you look, but at least he looks normal.

She looks around slowly, and he realizes that this is probably the least fancy place she's ever been in. Even her new apartment is better. But she doesn't seem to be judging, and for that he's thankful. The house he lives in isn't even that bad. It's a middle-class house that his father paid for when his mother left Niflheim with him, leaving behind a baby that Prompto barely remembers and doesn't know the name of. He was only four when they crossed the ocean and entered Lucis.

Prompto forgets that the picture is on his wall until he sees it, looking over Noctis's shoulder as she walks over to flop onto his bed. Immediately he's gone stiff with terror and doesn't know what to do. He can't just grab it, and he can't just leave it. Forced into a stalemate he waits, praying that she won't notice, but he knows that she's realized something is up because he's stuttering horribly. He denies it, but it only makes her more suspicious, and she searches the room. He's terrible at keeping secrets and his eyes give it away.

"When did you take this?", she asks, looking at the picture and the collection of her on the wall. As if that isn't bad enough, that particular picture is smack dab in the middle.

"U-uh- back uh- last year- I'm sorry-"

She looks back to him and quirks an eyebrow, her lips turned up at the corners. Gosh her lips.

"Why? It's not a bad picture…"

"It- It's not?", he's rubbing his wrist and he needs to _stop_ damnit.

"No. It's kind of cute I guess. Ignis is in it too". Barely, and Prompto never cared about Ignis being in it.

She looks back at him, and she's smiling so much that he just can't resist. He leans forward and gives her the fastest, most chaste kiss he's ever imagined. It's a peck, really, but it's on the lips and suddenly everything freezes to a halt and her eyes are huge and he's red from skull top to toe tip.

"I-", his voice dies in a squeak, and there's a few long, awkward, and horrifying seconds before Noctis bursts out laughing. Prompto is mortified, and scrambles back. A hand raises to cover his face and another goes to the back of his neck in pure embarrassment.

" _OhGodsI'msosorry_ ", he scrapes out fast, dragging his hand down his face so he can stare at the floor. Her laughter is like salt to the wound, at least until he feels her arms curl around him. He jumps at the unexpected touch and then willingly sinks into it.

"But-but- what about-?", her father is going to kill him, he knows it.

"Prom, shut up. Let's go watch a movie", she blows it off, and he's so thankful because he couldn't handle her liking him back. He's wrong, tainted, and she's so special. And he's so relieved that she doesn't hate him for it, or that things aren't awkward now. It still takes him a bit to get the courage to snuggle again, but soon enough things are back to normal.

He still has the photo saved on his phone, even if the physical copy is pinned to his wall back in Insomnia… But even if he loses the digital copy too, the real deal is walking beside him, sleeping beside him every night.

He's never gunna lose her.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Some stuff from the past for you guys before we get back to the storyline.


	6. Fault, Care, Reflections, and Goddesses

When Noctis wakes, she knows something is wrong. She's in a bed that's soft and smells clean, and there's sunlight shining through the windows, but as she eases her sore body up she can tell. Ignis is looking out the window, and he turns his head to her when she looks at him.

"What happened?", she asks, because she can feel it thick in the air. Ignis looks fine, so whatever is wrong isn't in the room with them. The trouble lays beyond her sight.

"Gladio", he starts, and doesn't seem to know how to continue, but he doesn't need to because she knows that something terrible has happened.

"Is he-?", her voice cuts as a cry already rises in it, and she chokes it off and blinks the wetness off of her lashes.

"Alive", Ignis's words relieve her like nothing else can, but she still knows that Gladio is not okay.

"I need to see him", she says, and rises, and he hurries over and helps her out of bed. Her shoulder is aching strangely each time she moves it, and he informs her that during the fight she managed to strain it. The old scar from Gladio's blade is right above the spot, and without mentioning it she knows that it's old damage given new life. It seems that she will carry the injury for the rest of her life.

She doesn't care.

He helps her change, and she doesn't miss the way he seems reluctant to let her leave. She doesn't know if it's because he's trying to make her rest or trying to stop her from seeing whatever it is that has kept Gladio from her side. On the way to his room Ignis quickly fills her in that Luna and Prompto are fine, but he stays out of the room when she enters it.

Gladio is lying in bed, and that's also strange because she can count the number of times she's seen him in bed on one hand. But it's when she gets closer that she sees it— his arm is resting on top of the blankets, wrapped in thick bandages from shoulder to fingertip and oddly misshapen. A tiny gasp leaves her as pain fills her chest.

 _His arm-_

Her gasp wakes him, and his face immediately contorts with pain. When he sees her though, he tries to hide it all away and looks aside, shame covering his face. Her strong Shield is so damaged, and she knows as soon as she looks at him that there is nothing Luna can do to heal him. The damage is too great, and Luna's specialty lies in healing those tainted by the blight.

He won't speak, so she eases over to him and kneels at his bedside, on the opposite side of his damaged arm, and he closes his eyes so that he won't have to look at her.

"Gladio", she whispers, and his expression tightens. She reaches up and gently cups his cheek, unwilling to leave him in so much pain. The physical part of it isn't what's killing him, but she resolves to do something about that too, and finds a bottle of painkillers next to the bed.

"Here", he won't take them, still won't speak, won't open his eyes.

"Gladio, _please_ ", that garners a reaction, and he struggles to swallow the pills without leaning up. When she supports his head he raises his undamaged hand as if to smack her away, but drops it quickly, agony on his face for even thinking to strike at her again.

Once he's taken the pills, she strokes his hair until, some minutes later, the lines of pain ease. They don't disappear because it's more than his arm hurting him.

"You're still my Shield", she says softly, and he snorts, closes his eyes again.

"I'm no good to you like this", he says, his voice raw. She cannot tell why, wonders if it is the product of pain or grief.

"You'll always be good to me", Noctis insists, and her fingers roam gently through his hair.

"This is my fault", she says lowly, "not yours. I led you here."

His eyes open fast, pinning her with such anger that she feels her breath catch.

"Don't you say that. Don't you _ever_ say that- this was my decision, my duty, my-", his voice breaks in grief, and his eyes are suddenly wet. He closes them again, but it's too late to stop the tears. Noctis is gentle when she wipes them away.

"Have they tried everything?", she asks softly, and he grunts out an affirmative that breaks her heart, because there's something of a broken quality to the noise, like a whimper.

"They said potions wouldn't help. The bones are shattered", his voice is tight, "they were talking about me staying here, but… I can't do that Noct. I have to go with you."

There's a desperation in his voice that she understands. His place is at her side, and he can't lose her.

"How long did they say?", she asks it gently, but the question is really so she can know if they can stay with him here, while he heals. He's already shaking his head before the last word leaves her lips.

"Too long", he says, "we can go whenever. I'll still be useful somehow."

But he can't put up a tent. It's his right arm that's shattered, so he can't wield his sword. He can use a shield, but he shouldn't be in battle anyway unable to defend himself properly. Noctis knows that, if he were just any soldier, he would be sent home. She sees that he knows this, and he's begging her to let him stay with her.

He'll die if she takes him. She knows it, knows it's too dangerous. They have to get to the crystal, to Niflheim, and that means going through countless enemies. The nights are growing longer, the daemons stronger. They can't wait.

"Okay", she says, because it's his choice. Because he deserves an option.

He closes his eyes in obvious relief.

* * *

It's strange that Niflheim doesn't look so different from Lucis. Prompto remembers a lot of darkness and metal, everything shadowed unlike Insomnia, which was always bright even in its poorest districts. Noctis is asleep with her head leaned against the window and Gladio is sitting next to her, keeping watch even in a train car. Ever since his injury he's been hyper aware and trying to make up for it.

Prompto saw that they were getting closer before Altissia, and he's happy for Gladio and Noctis, even if he wishes that he could have that closeness too. When it's all over he thinks that they'll get together properly, but he's also not sure, because recently Gladio has started to push her away. Trying to be strong.

Prompto thinks he's stupid about that, because if he just reached for comfort she would provide it.

Ignis has a hard time dealing with Gladio's temper now, though the man never takes it out on Noctis. He learned from their fight, and even when he directs his anger at her he quickly turns it away again. Unfortunately, that leaves Ignis and Prompto to handle him, and they suddenly have a new respect for Noctis. Luna is with them as well, and her and Noctis spend a lot of time off, talking. The serious looks on their faces when they do remind Prompto that none of this is a game, that things are very, very bad in their world.

But none of them are willing to give up, and that's what's important.

* * *

Luna isn't afraid of sharing her thoughts with Noctis, but she never has been. She expresses worry for her brother, who is slated for execution for what happened in Altissia when the imperial legion attacked Leviathan. As the same time, she asks Noctis if she could have been happy in that marriage.

"He is so angry", the Oracle says, leaning against the railing outside, at the very end of the train with Noctis.

"He was never like that when we were children. Do you think you could have lived with that?", they're all pointless musings, but she wants to know. They could have been sisters by law.

"I can handle anger", Noctis says, "but he'd have to care about me too. And I think the only thing Ravus cares about is the past."

Her voice is regretful, and Luna understands why. When they were all children they were close. Before mother died, Ravus was friendly, and he tolerated their childish games incredibly well. He was a sweet boy, and Noctis was a sweet girl. They could have been a good match.

There's something harder about her friend now, and the princess's shyness has become some unwavering form of cool-headedness. Noctis's eyes follow the railroad tracks to the horizon, and she rarely blinks. Luna's gaze drifts down to the ring which her friend has yet to put on.

At first she wanted to encourage Noctis to put it on immediately, but then she saw the pain crawl over her friend's shoulders. The ring does something to the Caelums that it doesn't to anyone else. Noctis has looked more tired with it in her care, and Luna almost wishes she could take it back.

But this is Noctis's fate, and as Oracle it is her duty to see the younger girl through it.

* * *

Shiva intervenes when the Accursed One boards the train. She will not let him near the Chosen One if she can help it, and she will not permit him to even look at the Oracle again. Lunafreya has become dear to her, and that moment in Altissia has made the Goddess's chilled heart crawl up out of the prison of duty and destiny it has lain in. Somehow, a fated moment was avoided there. Shiva does not want to see Lunafreya die, and will do everything she can to save her from that fate. The most threatening part is already over— now it is the young Queen's turn to risk death.

Only Shiva knows it is more a promise than a risk. She can see in the Queen's eyes that she has realized what the ring means, that accepting it means accepting death, but she can also see the resistance.

Her heart aches for the girl, who truly is the Queen of Queens. If she were to live, she would bring the world to peace. Instead it will struggle in the turmoil that humans are so used to living within.

Shiva wonders if there is anything she can do. She's a Goddess, after all. But this is Bahamut's will, the will of the Kings and Queens of Lucis who all wield power beyond any mere mortal soul. The Lucian family gains power after death.

 _Perhaps she will become a Goddess_ , Shiva wonders as she freezes the Accursed One before he can approach the Oracle. _If the chance is there, I will help her take it._

Humans prosper under the power of Gods, but only when the Gods contain their wars to themselves. That was why Ramuh was sealed away, for his bolts struck thousands as he flung them after Ifrit. That was why Leviathan was trapped in her bestial form to roam only the oceans, unable to run after Ifrit and join him. Titan suffered the weight of the meteor, an unexpected accident that only Bahamut could have relieved from him.

Ifrit himself has favored the Accursed One, and Shiva knows he must fall if they are to provide the humans with a future worth living. He will rain his fires down and launch the world into war again, even if the Accursed One is vanquished. Bahamut will never know the Stars again. Leviathan will be cursed to the ocean forever, and Titan has sacrificed his life to be free of the Meteor and aid the King. Ramuh and Shiva are all that will remain, and Shiva knows that once Ramuh is free of this task, he will lose himself to the heavens, embracing his storming nature.

Shiva has nothing after she has seen the Scourge wiped away. She can embrace her nature as an Ice Goddess, but she has lived with so much purpose the idea seems dull.

Slowly, she begins to embrace the idea of guiding a new Goddess.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Getting close to the end here aren't we?


	7. Real, Saved, and Lost

"Everything's alright now", she sees the way his lips turn down at the corners for the briefest second, the way his bruised up face is pale and frightened, but he's fighting so hard to stay strong in the middle of this terrible nightmare. It's insane that he would say that— they just pulled him off of a bizarre contraption, and he just questioned his _existence_ … Because she had foolishly attacked without thinking, and driven him off of the top of the train.

Noctis reaches up, her hands shaking slightly with all of the adrenaline and exhaustion and terror this place has forced through her body. He sucks in his breath, leans away, but he's too late because his cheeks are cold against her warm hands, and he gives in immediately to her. His eyes close. She sees that he's about to collapse before he probably even knows it, and she drops with him, holding him tight in her arms.

"I-I'm real- I'm real-", she holds tight to him, and she knows that they need to get going but she is _not_ going to force him up when he needs this so badly.

"You're real", she whispers, and he nods rapidly against her collarbone but doesn't lift his head.

Sobs, painful enough that the sound of each trembling breath and airy whine and fast intake of breath are like weights dropping on her heart and forcing it down, down, down.

"You're Prompto", her voice has a catch, because she never expected something like this. Never thought that this hellishness, this place of darkness and daemons and twisted souls, could have so directly touched one of her people.

But her brightest man was born of this horror, and she can feel the ache down to her soul. She can't imagine what he must be feeling, no matter what he knew before all of this happened.

"You've always been Prompto and you always will be. Not a daemon, not an MT."

Luna eases down, doesn't reach out to touch, because even she knows that all the broken man wants is Noctis. He needed Noctis to confirm his existence, to confirm he was loved. But maybe she can help.

"Nothing in you feels tainted by the blight", the Oracle says, and Noctis can't thank her enough, because Prompto lifts his head the tiniest bit and shudders, like some fear has bled out of him. It's a truth that Noctis wouldn't have been able to give in such certainty, no matter how much she believed it. He grows quiet, and doesn't move for a long few minutes while her fingers ease through his hair, breaking up tangles and strands sealed together by blood.

"I love you", he whispers, like there are no secrets he can bear to keep from her after this has been revealed. His face is still hidden away.

"I love you too", Noctis whispers, and he squeezes her tight. His arms are wrapped around her desperately, his fingers clenching around the worn material of her leather jacket.

He flinches when he feels a hand _much_ larger than hers settle in his hair, and finally lifts his head to see who it is. He's surprised to see Gladio's serious amber-brown eyes focused on him, and his eyes jump to the big tattooed arm that extends over his head, connected to the hand which gently ruffles his hair. Ignis is there too, with one hand on Noctis's shoulder, the other on the cold metal floor. His eyes, usually so hard and focused, have softened.

Noctis can feel Prompto hunch down, closer to her, like their care is too much for him to look at.

"You're gunna be okay, kid", Gladio says, and she could kiss him for the easiness of his voice, the love in his rumbling tone, and their whole relationship, all of their lives, are so complicated that she's starting to give up on trying to define it. She'll be Queen anyway— laws are hers to make, and there is nothing wrong with giving love and being loved, no matter how many people are involved.

Prompto gives a shaky laugh, and his hands finally loosen from her jacket so he can wipe his eyes and cheeks. Ignis's hand settles at the nape of her neck, and she leans back into his soothing touch, never too much, never pushing so far that she'll have to acknowledge that there's something more there except on that dark night from what feels like a long, long, time ago.

But there is, and she knows it, and she's known it since that night when she let him crawl out of her bed before dawn and slip away to pretend nothing ever happened.

"With all of us together, there is little we cannot do", Ignis said, and Prompto straightens a little more. "The dawn will shine for our Queen, and we three will stand before her as her knights, her shields, her advisors, her weapons."

"My heart", she adds softly, and rises. Prompto rises too, and so does Luna, who she knows has been trying to understand and now just might. As long as Noctis lives, they exist as one, as _us, them_ and not as _the three men and the woman_.

They will always compete for her affection, but it will never be done in more than fun because they have it all.

Noctis turns and gazes down the long corridor of darkness and metal, and her fingers curl on her right hand to form a fist.

"Let's go."

* * *

He's becoming a daemon.

He can feel the sick crawl of the blight sweeping over him, delving into his veins and pumping through his heart. His eyes are clouded over with the filth, but he can still see her, her, the Chosen Queen.

His Queen, as she should have been, as he wishes she had been.

He was dead when she found him, when she held him in her arms to check his heartbeat, to search for life that wasn't there. He was dead when she whispered an apology, unwilling to leave him there on that metal but with no other options.

He was dead, and the Accursed One forced him into life as a twisted, dark monster. He resists with all that he is, the blood of Oracles racing desperately through him, resisting the transformation, but it still makes him step forward. The arm that reattached itself is feeding the infection, the source of the blight within him.

 _Please- Help us! King Regis!_

He does not live in that life anymore. It is over, dead with him.

"Noc…tis… End… it…"

It is all he manages before the battle begins, but he sees Lunafreya weeping, her back against the chain metal fence of the elevator. He raises his sword with no will to fight, and the blows he deals are deadly, and every cut that lands on his demonic body is healed in a matter of seconds. He tries desperately not to hit Noctis, tries to make himself slow, and tries to wander away from his sister and the Amicitia standing before her, unable to fight. The fighting is— strange, though. Almost every blow lands on the blackness of the blight, when he knows Noctis is smart enough to strike what remains of his human body. It hurts to be struck at all, but the pain is nothing like the soul wrenching malice of the infection and he hardly registers what is happening until he hears Noctis shout for Lunafreya.

His sister throws herself forward at the same time that Noctis cuts the daemonic arm from his body, and he is engulfed in a golden light. His sword comes down over his sister, but the Shield is there, holding his massive blade with one hand, the tip dug into the metal to help him support its massive weight.

He drops his sword as his body burns, engulfed in a flame not unlike the might of the ring. But instead of burning away his human flesh, the light scorches the daemonic taint.

In a moment, it is over, and he drops hard onto the floor and gazes up with dazed eyes. He hears his sister sobbing her relief, and for the first time since Tenebrae burned he feels clearheaded. His second chance has finally come— but it was a second chance to _live_ , not to scratch and tear his way to a mockery of life.

He meets Noctis's eyes after she had kicked the damnable arm away, and he meets her eyes. She was never his, likely never would have been. Not in the lives they have lived, not in this world, but he cherishes her unlike before, because this time he really was saved. He takes her hand as she helps him up, and he holds on to it for a long moment. Something is shared between them, a promise.

 _I will not leave you behind again_.

* * *

Luna sees Noctis take the elevator, escaping the hordes of daemons filling the hanger to get the power of the crystal. The Oracle sees, and she knows, suddenly, that if she lets Noctis go— all the good that they have made in this horrible place will be dulled and will dwindle. She has no gift in prophecy, she cannot foretell the future, but as Noctis turns in the elevator and their eyes connect— Luna knows that she is not the one in danger. Noctis is.

" _Wait!_ Noctis! Noctis _STOP_!"

But her friend goes on, walking the path that they have all pushed her towards, and it is killing Luna that she cannot get to her friend, her reflection on this earth. Gentiana blasts into the hanger like the ice Goddess she is, her form changing to reflect her true nature as she works swiftly to save them from the daemons at hand.

"Go to her!", it is the shortest sentence Gentiana has ever spoken in Luna's hearing, but she understands. The Knights of the Chosen Queen gather around Luna, all of them distressed, confused at the suddenness of her cries. Ravus turns and his eyes meet hers.

"Should the Chosen fall, that too is fate", he murmurs, and Luna nods, clawing at the metal grate, pounding on the button to summon the elevator. The drop down will break their legs if they jump, so they cannot jump, but waiting for the machine is allowing Noctis to sprint, to almost fly, across the hanger and towards the closing doors at the far end.

"NOCT!", Gladio's yell is full of anguish. He has just realized what this power means, and he grips the barricade with even his bad hand, looking almost like he will fling himself over, consequences be damned.

Heat bursts into being at their backs, and Luna snaps her head around to see an inferno raging against Gentiana's ice, a man appearing in the middle of it. Ifrit, she knows, and knows further that this is no place for mortals to stand.

The elevator arrives, but the doors are closed on the other side when they touch down, and it costs them precious seconds to get it opening again. They see her, standing far at the end of the path, so much distance between them and her. The light of the crystal drifts like smoke around her body, beautiful, radiant, but Luna's heart is shattering in her chest because they are _too late_. Ignis grabs hold of Noctis, and Noctis grips his arm tightly, fear in her eyes because the crystal is taking her from her friends, her home, and Luna is praying so desperately to a God who wishes to see this done for mercy.

She hears Ardyn's words, but she does not care for him. Gentiana has told her his story, and it is sad, but the suffering he brings about is so petty, so hateful, she cannot bear to look at him again. There is no pity left in her heart for him after what he has done to their world.

Ravus strikes at him, words are exchanged, but none of Noctis's Knights move from her side. Her tears are joined by theirs, and they lean forward as if to go with her, wherever the crystal is taking her, but it will not accept them.

She is gone, and they turn their rage and grief to Ardyn, but his darkness is one that even Luna cannot conquer.

Their Queen is gone, and Luna does not know what they will do as Ardyn walks away from wounds that should have killed him, and they are left with a darkened crystal.

Lunafreya does not know what to do.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Fear not, the end isn't yet here.


	8. Trapped, Ascension, and Pitied

Touching the crystal was supposed to mean finally having the power to end the everlasting night. Noctis hadn't known how that would happen, but with Luna's assurances she trusted her friend, the Gods, her father, and all that the prophecy had said.

She's supposed to see the dawn, but she's not going to.

Bahamut tells her this over and over with his somber gaze, shows her the fate that awaits her, and Noctis can only curl tighter as she floats through the everlasting space she has found inside the crystal. She struggled for all she was worth as she was pulled in, but her struggles inside have mattered even less. She cannot fight the will of the Gods, and she knows now that Bahamut will not release her to free her people of the darkness until she has accepted what will come. He cannot risk allowing her to leave, as powerful as she has become, without the assurance that she will do what is right.

It's killing her inside, to slowly chip away at her sense of survival by the forced repetition of her memories. Everything good that has happened in her life plays by— all of her memories of nights spent playing in the palace, of dinners with Gladio, nights with Prompto. Memories of Ignis's reverent touch, of Prompto's lips on hers, too wet and too panicked, of Gladio's hand over her own in the back seat of the Regalia. But not all that flashes past her consciousness is good. Everything bad that she remembers is making her frantic with worry for her friends.

Her friends, who are waiting for her in the darkness, in the middle of an empire filled with daemons who were once people. Sad, twisted lives that could have been saved, if only she had truly known what was going on. _How did dad not know? How could no one tell me?_

The only way she can get back to them is if she gives up, allows her fate to play out as she is told it must. She will return, determined and focused as she approaches her ruined city and grasps the power of the Gods there.

 _Why?_ She wonders, bitterness and sadness tearing at her. _Why do I have to sit the throne to wield your power?_

And what will become of the world when she is gone? What will happen to Gladio? To Prompto? Ignis? What will happen to Luna? Or Ravus, revived by Ardyn and saved by Luna's healing magic? She desperately does not want to leave them, but Bahamut plays her memories out for her yet another time, and all of their voices are there again, pushing her on.

"Stop complaining."

"Follow your path."

"You cannot turn back once you leave."

It feels as if it has been years, and maybe it has been, because her will is wearing away. She feels tired, even as the drive to see her friends grows with each aching moment spent alone. She must see them, and she must see her world safe.

The only way is to die.

* * *

It is cracking.

Ignis strikes again, feels something give, and a shard of the crystal drops, fading to mist which lingers at their feet. His throat is cold and tight, tears burn against his lashes, but he refuses to let them fall because he has a task to do.

So he strikes again, and his blows do as much damage as Gladio's or Prompto's. Ravus's attacks are similar to theirs, splintering off small fragments of the great crystal which has swallowed their Queen up. It's Lady Lunafreya's attacks which have the greatest affect, likely because her trident was passed to the Oracle line by Bahamut himself.

Ignis has never seen her look so fierce. Determined, yes, but in this moment her fury is great. She dealt the first blow, her overwhelmed and lost expression breaking into monumental grief for her stolen friend, for the path the Gods have laid out for them.

"I can see her!", Prompto's voice cuts through the din of metal on crystal, and Ignis looks carefully at a section which has just lost several thick inches to one of Gladio's desperate blows. Yes, he sees her, and she has never looked so regal as she does there, her hair frozen in some ethereal sway, her face uplifted. She looks like an angel, beseeching an angry God for the safety of her people.

Even if they are stealing her from paradise everlasting, she was first stolen from them, and they will not accept it.

The mist gathers at their feet, growing thicker, restless, and Ignis feels the painful surging energy growing in the air. They are releasing power into the world that has no place to go.

"Careful not to strike her!", he yells, worried about hurting her.

The fear is for nothing though, because Lady Lunafreya strikes again, and the crystal shatters into billions of tiny fragments which thicken the mist into a dense cloud. Ignis catches the unharmed Queen, holds her close to his chest as his hand flies to her throat. Her pulse beats strong, and almost before he can feel a second beat her eyes are flying open to meet his. His fingers tangle in her hair as he pulls her tight to him, hugging her desperately.

"Ignis-", her voice is a gasp, and he loses his breath in his relief. He allows Gladiolus to take her, hold her, and she leaves the big man a moment later to hug Prompto.

"How long?", she asks, her voice bewildered as she looks to Lady Lunafreya and Ravus, who's eyes are still scanning the Queen's body for damage.

"How long what?", Prompto asks, and the Queen looks back to him.

"How long was I gone? How- How did you get me out?", her voice is shaky, and Ignis begins to understand that she experienced something very different from them.

"Minutes", Ignis supplies, and she raises her hand to just above her brow, as if her head hurts. She takes a deep, shuddering breath before she lifts her head and glances around.

"Where… Where is the crystal?", she asks, and his stomach feels lead-filled. Ravus is the one who answers.

"Destroyed, for taking you."

Her eyes widen, a look of horror sweeping over her features. He sees her looking at the strange cloud at their feet now.

"How are we supposed to…?"

Her words fade as the air grows cold, ice crawling along the walls and announcing the presence of Shiva. The Glacian treads the cold metal walkway slowly, one of her arms scorched and black.

"Gentiana!", Lady Lunafreya raises a hand to her mouth at the Goddess's condition, but doesn't rush forward because the air is quickly reaching below freezing and descending further the closer Shiva comes. Everyone draws back— except for Noctis, even as her coat begins to stiffen with ice and the cold steals their breath.

"This power, O Queen…", Shiva begins to speak, and she sounds dreadfully tired, "Was meant for you upon your death… But Bahamut is now lost to us. This power is yours… Take it."

Ignis turns his head in time to see the moment of hesitation in Noctis's gaze before she raises her hand to the thickest part of the energy cloud, where the crystal once was, as she has done over and over again by claiming the Royal Arms.

"Do it", Gladio says, and she seems to steel herself, drawing in a tight breath. Her gaze focuses, her hand steadies, and the free energy brightens, shining blue all around them. Everything stills, and Ignis holds his breath.

The power crashes into Noctis from all sides, and lifts her straight off of the ground, suspending her in an explosion of light that he cannot help shielding his eyes from. When the light fades he looks back quickly, and she's standing there as if he never moved.

But there is something exquisitely different about her.

Noctis opens her eyes, and it's as if he's staring into the very stars.

* * *

He didn't know how long he would have to wait, but he didn't expect to be seeing Noctis again so soon. It fills him with glee— he has waited an obscenely long time to face the Chosen One, to finally _die_.

Everything has been an effort to claim his revenge and finally have peace. To be rid of the torment of the blight that plagues him. Only her power could do that, only Bahamut's power through her.

Surprisingly, the borrowed power isn't borrowed.

Her friends are nowhere near, and he finds it surprising that her little followers would let her come to him alone, especially after their futile attacks earlier. He raises a brow in question, but she isn't playing along with the friendly pretenses. A pity, he would have liked to know how she convinced Bahamut to give up his power.

He doesn't get the chance to talk at all before she's lunging after him. He's prepared for her to warp, but when she raises her sword she doesn't throw it.

She suddenly appears behind him, and he feels the blade pierce him, feels another of the daemonic fragments within him perish to sustain his life. Only, the darkness within him is rapidly being eradicated by the surging energy _that she should not have._ He should have gotten the chance to strike her, to kill her, after waiting for so very, very _long…_

The battle isn't yet over, and he summons his own weapons to strike out at her. She disappears from him, able to warp without throwing her weapon, and reappears in the air. He didn't expect her to be able to wield power like this so quickly, not after he had spent _centuries_ gathering his own.

The battle is one that is fast, furious, and relentless. They are not evenly matched, as he had expected. Her power is greater than his, but that is not disappointing. No, he does little to shield himself, and only seeks to wound her as harshly as she wounds him. Every stab, every scratch she leaves on him tears more darkness out of him, until at last he falls to the dull cement of a nameless street in Gralea, far from the home he planned on dying in.

This is not Insomnia. This is not even Lucis— how is it, that the place he will perish will be the place he corrupted most intensely? Is it a sign of his own darkness, a cosmic act of karma?

He has only enough strength to summon one sword and stand, stumbling. She is not what he expected, not at all. He's watched her as she's grown and been befuddled by her weakness, her attention to the opinions of others, her childishness and her spoilt ways. He thought that was all she was.

He sees now, as her friends finally catch up to them and stand behind her, that he was wrong. She's become strong, and her care for other people has granted her something so precious he would have given anything for it.

A second chance.

The wounds he has dealt her seal, closing up without even scars. Her inhuman bright eyes peer deeply into his soul, in a way that would have made him uncomfortable were he not so tired of this life. He wants what she has, wants what she has become, a Goddess. Her power is unrivaled now.

"So… I will not be seeing you… In the beyond", he murmurs, and she shakes her head.

"No."

He almost doesn't see the blow coming. He expects to find himself fading and awakening in the beyond, as dreadfully tainted as he is now, but the Oracle approaches and places her hand on his brow.

He is dying, and he doesn't have the strength to stop her. She purges his soul of the daemonic corruption. It terrifies him to lose everything which has kept him alive so long, even as he welcomes it.

When he does die, he truly does know peace, for the first time in his life.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** The Epilogue will be posted next. Happy Holidays folks.


	9. Epilogue

**Chapter warning** : Blatant polygamy. If it's not your style, please move on. If you're not sure, give it a chance. And if you don't mind, please enjoy.

* * *

She lets out a laugh, her breath misting the cold air as she gazes out across the wide, gleaming metal expanse of Insomnia. The city is rebuilding still, but in the five years since it fell, and four since the darkness rose, she's proud to see so much done. The statues of the old kings are being rebuilt and placed to guard the city once more. She hopes that she will never need them, and it's the peace that now brings joy to her heart and laughter to her lips.

"Something funny?", she turns her head to see Ignis stepping out from the throne room. He's dressed smartly, all polished up for the court. His days of fighting are over and he seems to prefer it.

"Just glad to see that old wall finally being brought down", she says. He settles his arms on the railing next to her and leans against her for a moment, but the moment is long and lasting and meaningful.

"Only pieces of it, but I understand", he says, "I daresay Cindy will be ecstatic when next we see her."

Noctis dips her head as she laughs again, their good friend always bringing a smile to her face. They've made a lot of friends.

"We'll have to go out and see her soon. I have a feeling she won't stray far from Hammerhead."

She's right, and it does take scheduling a day off for them to make the long drive out of Insomnia in the rebuilt Regalia. It's so reminiscent of the old days that Noctis can't help it— she takes off her crown, which is small and silver like her father's, but which perches more visibly atop her head and curls regally on one side like a delicate horn. Prompto twists in the front passenger seat to shoot a picture. She drops the crown in a cup holder, where it hooks and dangles, and ignores the weight of Ignis's disapproval.

Gladio slaps Prompto's hand when the man reaches out to grab it.

"Don't touch her crown", he grumbles, and Noctis covers her smile with her fingers as she perches her elbow on the window panel and settled her chin on her palm. A big hand barely surprises her by falling on her thigh, just over her knee, and she glances over at Gladio. He looks happy to be out of the city again, his eyes bright and alive. She should send him on missions outside more often, let him take in the fresh air because he's way too big to be stuck in the city smoke— not that Insomnia has unhealthy air, she's been passing all sorts of regulations lately. No one wants to pollute their air, the fear of a smog dimming the light still too potent in the minds of the people.

The only problem of sending him out is that she'll be tempted to go with him, because even if she doesn't miss sleeping on the hard ground she does miss the carefree moments that come so rarely now.

Cindy greets them eagerly, and she's changed very little. Her eyes are just as bright, her clothes just as revealing in a way that Noctis does not have the blatant confidence to mimic. Her hair has gotten a little longer, her skin a little tanner, and a few more lines have found their way onto her face, but she's just as gorgeous and Prompto is mooning over her the second they see her.

Noctis isn't jealous, but a few hours later Cindy pulls her aside for some girl time and expresses her own concerns.

"I know them boys are all yours, and I ain't tryin' to make things difficult", she says, and Noctis can see her concern. The Queen smiles faintly, and still feels awkward about discussing her love life.

"Don't worry about it", Noctis replies easily, her gaze drifting until she sees Prompto and the others roaming the settlement, which in the last few years has expanded exponentially. She and Cindy are seated in the lawn chairs in front of the garage— Cid is at Takka's, enjoying the AC in his golden years.

"Ya ain't anxious about it?", Cindy asks, and she colors a little bit herself, "I mean- don't know how a girl can't be anything but confident with them three but-"

Noctis shakes her head. "It's… A lot simpler than you'd think. But I guess it's complicated too. They don't stray far."

Gladio doesn't chase tail like he used to, but he hasn't anyway since Insomnia fell. Still, he isn't afraid to eye a girl up or make a comment, and Noctis accepts it in stride. He never intends to do more than look, and it's her bed that he returns to when he wants more than that. Ignis only has eyes for his Queen, and of the three has assumed the role of her most devoted lover. He's sweet, and always has been. Prompto is attracted to everything, and Noctis is beginning to realize that includes the other two boys as well. He's quiet about it, obviously uncomfortable and trying to avoid being called out on it, but she's fairly sure the they've noticed. He has more than enough to occupy his mind, and mostly what he's doing with Cindy is admiring, which is understandable.

"So… What's it like? With all of them?", Cindy's getting a little more daring, and she's leaned over in her seat a bit. It's Noctis's turn to color, and she shifts uncomfortably.

"Um…", she pauses, thinks it over, "intense. And funny, sometimes. We're not always all together though."

Cindy hums thoughtfully, and they're quiet until it comes time to leave. The parting isn't hard, and it isn't painful, because Noctis knows they'll visit again soon. She stops by the diner to say goodbye to Takka and Cid, and the old man's eyes linger on her for a long minute.

"Ya done well kid", he says in his rough and aged voice. The approval is enough to make her blink away sudden tears, and he opens his arms up for a hug she didn't expect but values immensely. They leave, and she sits on the back of the Regalia, her legs in the seat and her upper body turned to wave until Gladio grabs her foot and yanks her back into the car. All three of the men look hassled by her antics, and she smiles apologetically.

It's not until she looks down at the cup-holder that she realizes she can't find her crown.

* * *

They make camp that night at a haven, though there's nothing to fear in the dark anymore, and she can feel Gladio's satisfaction as he pitches the tent. Ignis is sitting, for once leaving the cooking to her while he carefully cleans her crown and mutters about Chocobos and their tendency to steal small and shiny objects, such as her crown or his glasses. A passing traveler had gone into the mart while they were still at Hammerhead and left his bird out untethered, and the curious animal had seen the glint of metal and made for it immediately.

Noctis thought it was funny. Crowns were replaceable. But Ignis was much less amused.

"Noct, babe", she looks up from the grill as Gladio ambles over, and his arms curl around her hips, though one isn't as strong as the other. She leans back into him, and Prompto snaps a picture that has the biggest man chuckling.

"What?", she asks her Shield.

"Look at the stars."

She pauses, and then glances up— and it takes her breath away. She appreciates those stars so much, and hasn't gotten the chance to see them so clearly since the darkness fell. They've been too busy.

The night sky is beautiful, and she hopes other people are looking up and seeing it. People don't have to remain in their homes, hiding in the light.

If they are, she has her whole life ahead of her to show it to them.

* * *

When they get back to the palace her advisors and court are in a panic because not only has she missed an important session, Ravus, King of Tenebrae, is waiting for her in the throne room. She moves past them and finds the man seated at the upper steps, petting Pryna who often travels between him and Luna as Umbra does for her and Noctis.

"Finally returned?", he asks, a hint of a smile on his lips. Five years of peace and rebuilding Tenebrae has done him just as well as rebuilding Insomnia has done for her.

"You know it", she says, and seats herself next to him. Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto lean against the wall on the lower floor and chat. Visits from Ravus are not infrequent, and they no longer feel like she needs protection from him.

"We've cleared the last of the Rogues", he says, and she feels a chill settle in her spine to think of the MTs. Twisted and wrong though they were, the dawn didn't carry them away. She's glad, because that would mean she would lose Prompto, but the creatures are horrifying to her even now, when she's strong enough to blast through a dozen of them in two minutes.

She sees Prompto stiffen, and knows he heard Ravus's words. His face loses color, but he doesn't look up to them. He still has nightmares of the time he spent alone with Ardyn, and it's been hard getting him to open up and talk about it.

He says he's weak, but she's never seen anyone stronger.

"Good", she replies, "how is Gralea?"

Gralea, like most of Niflheim, has become Tenebraen land. Lucis controls a small portion around Cartanaca, because of the Royal Tomb.

"A ghost city, still. I don't believe it will be populated any time soon."

Noctis takes that in and nods grimly. She understands how it could sit empty of all people. Empty clothes still haunt the city, reminders that people once succumbed to the blight and became daemons.

"And Luna?", the Oracle had taken to traveling when Ravus took the throne. Her skills as a healer improved each year, and she stopped by every few months to do a little more for Gladio's arm. He can bend his fingers, though not all the way, and his elbow will bend but often locks up.

"In Altissia, again." He doesn't sound pleased, but she understands that too. The relationship between Accordo and Tenebrae isn't strong, and the people in Accordo see Ravus as Iedolas Aldercapt's replacement. As a former high commander of Niflheim's army, peace has been difficult between the two nations. Noctis and Luna often step in to bring tensions down and form compromises between agreements.

The world enjoys peace, for now. But Noctis senses a rising discontent in Accordo, the smallest of the three nations.

"She should take a break once in a while", Noctis says, and he makes a low noise of agreement.

They talk a while longer, about things important and not, until he rises to go. She sees him off to his airship— one of the new, pretty, fantastic looking ships that seem nothing like what Niflheim mass produced. It is gilded in blue and gold, it's hull white with large glass panels to see out of.

She'll miss him, as they've become good friends, but she knows he'll be back soon enough. The luxury of air travel lets him get away from his own court often, while Lucis is still forming new transportation lines, railroads being laid and mountains being tunneled through to allow more routes across the nation. Galahd was one of the first to receive a train line, and Noctis was the one of the first to ride that train into a part of her country that had suffered the most. She continues to send aid and people there, rebuilding the territory as much as Insomnia.

The court insists on consuming her attention and she skips dinner to see to her royal affairs, but it's all worth it when she finally sinks into bed some hours later. The mattress dips behind her and she feels Prompto relax against her left side, and turns to look at him. Ignis is still seeing to the court, and Gladio is showering.

"Noct… Should I… Be here?", Prompto asks quietly, unsurely.

"What do you mean?", it's a concerning question. She doesn't like it. "Of course you should be."

"But, I'm not human. I'm an…", his voice drops to a whisper, but he still can't say it. _MT._

She leans forward, until their noses are almost touching and it's almost uncomfortable to be focusing on his eyes, but the closeness makes it so intense.

"You're Prompto. And you belong here. Always will."

He smiles slowly, and she can see that he just needed the reassurance. There are no tears in his eyes, no broken smile to hide how upset he is. He breaths out a sigh of relief and pops his head forward, kissing her, and then rolls onto his back and spreads out.

"Right. Right. The pictures prove it", he says. She grins and reaches across the bed to the nightstand on one side and grabs his camera, which he takes eagerly.

The picture he takes will never be shown to anyone but the four of them, and Ignis insists that a picture of Noctis in only her nightgown should never have been taken when he sees it later, but Prompto takes it back from him and gets up, pinning it to the wall she's allowed him to claim for his photos.

The picture proves it, after all.

She's theirs.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** It's been a fun ride guys, and I hope you enjoyed it. There may be some add-ons for this series in time, but for now I'll be letting it rest. I hope you enjoyed it and will keep an eye out for more, seeing that people truly liked this series was motivating to me. In the mean-time, have a wonderful new year!


End file.
